The Portland daily press., 1887-05-25
INTERESTING "REMINISCENCES.
The Old Free Street Stable and the
Elm House.

In the article copied from the Transcript
in the PRESS of the 10th inst, the editor
wonders how many of its readers can re-
member the old stage stable which stood on
Free street, where the Free street block now
is. 1t came into the school-boy beat Of the
entertaining principal editor Of that paper,
and it seems to have been explored by him
from the immense hay-loft with its swallows s.
nests, to the corral in the basement where
the horses were kept. This kind Of institu-
tions has special attractions for boys. My
own reeolections Of the stable are principal
ly confined to the unobstructed main story,
where the coaches, mud.wagons and unused
old seighs were stored. Sixty years ago
there were no covered stage sleighs used.
On snow roads, large open yellow sleighs.
with long runners, and three seats we're en-
ployed; the sides and back fashioned pre-
cisely like single sleigh To keep the pro-
portion the back was made to come above
a mans head. These old sleighs remained
in the stable years after the covered sleighs
came into use. At first these had only single
long runners. My memory goes back to the
time Of ''Post Paine." who came from Cape
Cod. He owned the line to Portsmouth.
His stable was on the corner of Congress
and Market streets. The Free street stable,
think, was built by Simonton, who owned
truck teams and who let horses and carriages.
The stage company which succeeded Paine,
and was managed by his son Enoch, moved
into the Free street stable about 1923 or 1924.
The company owned the mail route to Ports
mouth only. but the mail and passengers
were carried through to Boston the same
night.
There was also an accommodation line
belonging to the same company which was
two days in reaching Boston, stopping for
the night at Dover. These lines were con-
tinued up to the opening Of the railroad.
The drivers Of the mail coaches were Charles
Carle and Fisk. Several stablemen and oe-
casiOnal drivers commenced in the Free
street stable. l recollect James Maxwell
and William G. Mitchell, both Of whom
were afterwards employed by the railr0a d
company. The stage books were kept at
the Elm Tavern, in charge Of the agent,
O'Clock a. m, the stages stopping tor break
fast at Saco, for dinner at Portsmouth, and
for supper at Salem, reaching Boston at 8
o'clock. The fare to Boston was $40, and it
was afterwards reduced to SS. A stableman
was sent round town an hour before starting
to wake the passengers. have made sew
eral trips TO Boston by this conveyance, and
1t was not an unpleasant days work in good
weather when seat could be obtained on
the box with Charles Carle. He was thirty
years driver on that line. l could fill a
book with amusing anecdotes Of him while
on the road, and while awaiting his return
at the hotel. My last passage by stage to
Boston was In the autumn OF 1885. My fell
low passengers were Daniel Webster, who
had been to Wiscasset as counsel in Ban
g0r suit, and Neal Shaw of Calais.
The mention Of the Elm House brings be-
fore me a procession Of all the State officers,
legislators, judges and principal business
men of the State ffty-seyen years age. Be-
sides those who banded there during the
sessions Of the legislature the others were
continually coming and going from the
hotel, either on business with officers Of the
State government or Portland business, or
on their way to or from Boston. This house
having the stage Office connected with it,
and it being the leading hotel of the town,
1t was the headquarters of the most of the
travellers. Next after my boy-home in Port
land, the Elm House was for four years my
boarding place, from 1880 to 1884. when
ceased to be a bachelor. Although / now
have grandchildren nearly as old as was
when took the room on the street corner,
| third story, No. 49, have avivid recollection
| 0tthe regular b0arders and the daily comers
and goers. The State government was re-
| moved to Augusta in 1882. Previous to that.
| Governor Hunton who held office in 1881.
and Governor Smith, who succeeded him the
next year, with several of the council, board
| ed at the hotel, and also Robert p. Dunlap
| President of the Senate. Among the menl-
bers Of the Legislature / recall Nathan
| borough, Mr. Talbot of Machias, father of
George Z. Talbot, Jabez Mowry Of Lubec,
| John G. Deane of Ellsworth, and others.
| The nucleus around which the Elm House
was built was two story brick house on the
corner, which was built in 1871 by Eber
Storer, merchant and the same who built
the John Mussey house in 1901. In about
1925, Hale q WaterhOuse who owned the
| eastern mail stage line, bought the Storel
house, added third story, and built bricl
wing on each street. This was the first at
tempt to have large and commodious lhote
in town. Bowles was the name of the frs
keeper,-he wouldnow be called ''the propri
etor." In about 1929 John w. Appleton
took the house. He was Of the Ipswich fam
lily. He was the father Of John Appleton
who graduated at Bowdoin College in 1884
and became a member of Congress. An
other child of the hotel keeper is now TIN
wife Of George +. Emery. Hannibal Hamlil
was nephew of Mr.. Appleton and BOARDED
at the hotel while he was reading law will
| Fessenden S Deblois. He could always beal
the transient patrons of the. house were
Robert III. Gardiner, of Gardiner
Reuel Williams of Augusta, viii.
liam ID. Williamson, Edward Ken
and Gen. samuel yeazie Of Bangor, john
| Holmes of Alfred, tJohn ID. Melrate Of No
bleborough, John Ruggles of Thomaston
Abial Wood, Menasseh Smith and Erastu:
Foote of Wiseasset.
| After the State government was removed
to Augusta, the disastrous land speculation
began in 1888, which excited the people O
this and other States as no speculating manii
ever did before or SINCE Almost genera
ruin brought people to their senses. TIL,
| Elm House was the headquarters for tradinl
in lands-but this would require separati
chapter.
In 1884 DR.. Sylvester Graham, who ha.
attached his name to coarse bread, came t
| the Elm House and commenced q course o
lectures on 'The Science Of Human Life
The whole town took sides. To prevent th
loss of their candidate fol, Mayor, the Whig
at the hotel bought up the partly printe
edition of the Evening Advertiser, whic
contained string of Graham resolution
"by a class of mothers"
OF the city boarders at the Elm House,
recollect Capt Jonathan Dow, who wa
elected Mayor to fill out the unexpired tern
OF Andrew l.. Emerson. the first Mayor, VIII
died in office in 1882; DIR. John L. Gilman
the father of the Maine General Hospital
and George w. Pierce, lawyer of the fam
GUS Bowdoin class of 1925, with Hawthorn
and the Longfellows. Pierce married thei
sister, who now owns and occupies her an
cestral home-the Wadsworth Longfello,
house. Then there were John Gordon, Ebe
Steele, John c. Brooks, Alfred Dow, WilliaI
Aitchison, 0. p. Thorp, William Coe, Ger
James Appleton, brother to the Landlord
and James Appleton, Jr., son Of the Genera
Mr.. Appleton left the hotel about 1888 /
take charge of the Cumberland House, no,
the United States Hotel. He was succeede
by Samuel Haskell, who had kept the Ia
fayette Hotel in Boston. He lived man
years in the city and finally moved to Can
Elizabeth where he died.. OF all the cit
boarders with me at the Elm House, kno,
of only one now living. Mr.. Benjamin Ur
derwood, formerly in the shoe business,
living in Deering. Mr.. George S. Hay, VIII
keeps an eating house on Federal street, wa
bar-keeper and clerk under Appleton at tn
hotel. Mrs. Hay, then unmarried, at tn
same time had charge Of the dining room
Her beck and nod were then as potent as ar
now those Of the present head-waiters.
The splendid elm on the street corne
which gave the name to the house, thin
was not hollow, as mentioned in the Trar
script article. 1t had heavy chain and sta
pie to which the leaders of the stage team
were hltched while waiting for the wor
go. The tree died lingering death from
stroke Of lightning There was another elr
on Temple street which was swept of wit
l NH..1 1..~N-I =. a..